Skip to main content
Access provided by

Curated by Project Syndicate

Most Read of 2015

10 commentaries

The year that just ended witnessed an extraordinary array of economic and political challenges, including disunion in Europe, decelerating Chinese growth, and deepening turmoil in the Middle East. Understand what happened – and what to expect – with the year's ten most-read Project Syndicate commentaries.

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Trans-Pacific Free-Trade Charade
    Big city skyline

    The Trans-Pacific Free-Trade Charade

    Oct 2, 2015 Joseph E. Stiglitz & Adam S. Hersh warn that the biggest regional trade and investment agreement in history is not what it seems.

  2. Economists vs. Economics
    Paul Krugman Panayiotis Tzamaros/ZumaPress

    Economists vs. Economics

    Sep 10, 2015 Dani Rodrik examines the recent wave of criticism of the discipline by its leading figures.

  3. Europe’s Attack on Greek Democracy
    lines at greek atms Panayiotis Tzamaros/ZumaPress

    Europe’s Attack on Greek Democracy

    Jun 29, 2015 Joseph E. Stiglitz explains what is really at stake in this weekend’s referendum.

  4. The Liquidity Time Bomb
    pocket watch Viewminder/Flickr

    The Liquidity Time Bomb

    May 31, 2015 Nouriel Roubini warns that policy measures to reduce short-term market volatility have increased long-term risk.

  5. The Education Myth
    Vermont schoolhouse Don Shall/Flickr

    The Education Myth

    May 31, 2015 Ricardo Hausmann pours cold water on the idea that more and better schooling leads to rapid and inclusive growth.

  6. How Scary Is the Bond Market?
    Scared Tom Lin/Flickr

    How Scary Is the Bond Market?

    Mar 16, 2015 Robert J. Shiller reminds us that crashes are relatively rare, and that contagion is unprecedented.

Our Pick

Featured

  1. skidelsky200_Getty Images_speech Getty Images
    1

    The Language of Political Control

    Robert Skidelsky views recent linguistic innovations as manipulative efforts to compel “correct” thought and perception.
  2. basu101_Alfonso Sangiao iStock Getty Images Plus_voting Alfonso Sangiao/iStock / Getty Images Plus
    1

    Globalization vs. Democracy

    Kaushik Basu highlights the contradictions and vulnerabilities inherent in the current international order.
  3. coyle36 Alishia AbodundeGetty Images INFRASTRUCTURE Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images
    0

    The West’s New Infrastructure Imperative

    Diane Coyle explains why a broader conception of the term could reflect a renewed interest in investing in the future.
  4. bp iran israel Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
    0

    An Iran-Israel War?

    Iran’s mass ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel last week raised anew the specter of a widening Middle East war that draws in Iran and its proxies, as well as Western countries like the United States. The urgent need to defuse tensions – starting by ending Israel’s war in Gaza and pursuing a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – is obvious, but can it be done?

  5. nasheed3_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_georgieva MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    What a Climate-Aligned IMF Would Look Like

    Mohamed Nasheed & Rakesh Mohan explain how the managing director can fully position the institution to help the most vulnerable countries.
  6. ghosh76_Kristin Palitzapicture alliance via Getty Images_afrigen Kristin Palitza/picture alliance via Getty Images
    0

    The Key to Transforming African Health

    Jayati Ghosh highlights efforts to foster scientific innovation and drug manufacturing on the continent.
  7. op_roach3_ Kevin FrayerGetty Images_china lagging consumption Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
    0

    China’s Rebalancing Imperative

    Stephen S. Roach

    The most successful development stories almost always involve major shifts in the sources of economic growth, which in turn allow economies to reinvent themselves out of necessity or by design. In China, the interplay of mounting external pressures, lagging household consumption, and falling productivity will increasingly shape China’s policy choices in the years ahead.

     explains why the Chinese authorities should switch to a consumption- and productivity-led growth model.
  8. castaneda88_GERARDO MENOSCALAFP via Getty Images_latin america safety GERARDO MENOSCAL/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    From Welfare State to Safe State in Latin America

    Jorge G. Castañeda & Carlos Ominami

    Designing a progressive anti-violence strategy that delivers the safety for which a huge share of Latin Americans crave is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing many of the region’s governments. But it is also the most important.

     urge the region’s progressives to start treating security as an essential component of social protection.
  9. ocampo57_Celal GunesAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_imf Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
    0

    The Urgency of Sovereign-Debt Restructuring

    José Antonio Ocampo highlights the need for a comprehensive mechanism to deliver relief to low- and middle-income countries.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.